Texas business groups concerned that public education overhaul is misguided

Gov. Rick Perry this week signed into law a major overhaul of Texas’ public education testing and curriculum.

The overhaul, however, won’t deal with an acute shortage of skilled and specialized workers in Texas and may exacerbate the problem, according to the Texas Association of Business.

House Bill 5, authored by House Public Education Chairman State Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, reduces the number of state standardized tests that high school students must take to graduate and changes the courses needed to earn a diploma. While some lawmakers praised the legislation, some business leaders were left disturbed by the potential implications for students and businesses alike.

“I’m extremely disappointed in this action,” said Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. “Through it, the superintendents of schools in this state have said they don’t want to be responsible for kids born into poverty.”

In addition to students from low-income backgrounds not getting the education they need to secure skilled jobs as a result of the new law, Hammond said fewer students overall will graduate career-ready at a time when the state needs more such graduates to meet demand.

Such demand is coming from the likes of Texas’ chemical industry that plans about $15 billion in capital investments, with more on the horizon thanks to a manufacturing renaissance, but only if the state can provide the workforce needed, said Hector Rivero, president and CEO of the Texas Chemical Council and Association of Chemical Industry of Texas.

Students will be able to get into college by taking the minimum curriculum as a result of the new law, which won’t work in the long term for getting a job, Hammond warned.

Others, however, argue the overhaul will ensure all Texas students start on a educational path that is rigorous as well as relevant so that they are prepared in today’s schools for the unpredictable future, while not being overburdened with unnecessary testing.

“While high-stakes testing seemed like the right thing to do when it was introduced, parents and educators made it clear to us that 15 end-of-course exams are too many and that the classroom balance had shifted too much toward testing and too far from teaching,” said State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio. “Reducing the exams to five will restore that balance.”